Portal:Abkhazia

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The Abkhazia Portal

Flag of Abkhazia	Coat of Arms for Abkhazia

Abkhazia (/æbˈkɑːziə/ ^ⓘ ab-KAH-zee-ə), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It covers 8,665 square kilometres (3,346 sq mi) and has a population of around 245,000. Its capital and largest city is Sukhumi.

The political status of Abkhazia is a central issue of the Abkhaz–Georgian conflict and Georgia–Russia relations. Abkhazia has been recognised as an independent state by Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru, and Syria; however, the Georgian government and nearly all United Nations member states consider Abkhazia sovereign territory of Georgia. Lacking effective control over the Abkhazian territory, Georgia maintains an Abkhaz government-in-exile.

The region had autonomy within Soviet Georgia at the time when the Soviet Union began to disintegrate in the late 1980s. Simmering ethnic tensions between the Abkhaz—the region's titular ethnicity—and Georgians—the largest single ethnic group at that time—culminated in the 1992–1993 War in Abkhazia, which resulted in Georgia's loss of control over most of Abkhazia and the ethnic cleansing of Georgians from Abkhazia. Despite a 1994 ceasefire agreement and years of negotiations, the dispute remains unresolved. The long-term presence of a United Nations Observer Mission and a Russian-led Commonwealth of Independent States peacekeeping force failed to prevent the flare-up of violence on several occasions. In August 2008, Abkhaz and Russian forces fought a war against Georgian forces, which led to the formal recognition of Abkhazia by Russia, the annulment of the 1994 ceasefire agreement and the termination of the UN mission. On 23 October 2008, the Parliament of Georgia declared Abkhazia a Russian-occupied territory, a position shared by most United Nations member states.

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The Security Council of the United Nations passed 32 resolutions where it recognizes Abkhazia as an integral part of Georgia and supports its territorial integrity according to the principles of the international law. The UN is urging both sides to settle the Georgian–Abkhazian conflict through peaceful means by intensifying diplomatic dialogue and ratifying the final accord about the status of Abkhazia in the Georgian Constitution. Moreover, United nations calls for immediate return of all expelled ethnic Georgians (approximately 250,000) and determining the final status of Abkhazia as maximum autonomy or federative structure within the borders of the Georgian state. The resolutions also commend Russia's role as a peacekeeper and facilitator towards a resolution of the conflict. Resolution 1716 also urges Georgia to ensure that no troops are present in the Kodori Gorge and asks Georgia to refrain from provocative actions in the Kodori Gorge.

Many of the resolutions relate to the establishment and extension of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia. (Full article...)

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Beslan Butba (Abkhaz: Беслан Быҭәба, Georgian: ბესლან ბუთბა) (born February 7, 1960) is a businessman and a former Prime Minister of Abkhazia. He owns Abkhazia's only private television station Abaza TV and is the chairman of the Party of the Economic Development of Abkhazia. Butba was an unsuccessful candidate in the December 2009 presidential election. (Full article...)

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Nestor Lakoba Vladislav Ardzinba Bessas (magister militum) Gubazes II of Lazica Justin (consul 540) Gennadi Gagulia Raul Khajimba Beslan Bartsits Viktor Saneyev Sergei Shamba Daur Arshba Sergei Bagapsh Fazil Iskander Valeri Bganba Aslan Bzhania Abrskil George II of Abkhazia Dorotheos Dbar Igor Akhba

General images

The following are images from various Abkhazia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Gagra Range (from Geography of Abkhazia)
Image 2Meeting of Circassian Princes in the Valley of the Sochi River by Gregory Gagarin (1841). The print depicts several influential Abkhaz noblemen who played an active role in the politics of Abkhazia and in the regional conflicts (from History of Abkhazia)
Image 3Enguri Bridge [ru] over the Enguri river (from Abkhazia–Georgia border)
Image 4Enguri Bridge [ru] over the Enguri river border (from Abkhazia–Georgia border)
Image 5Map of Sukhumi district (Abkhazia), 1890s (from History of Abkhazia)
Image 6Nestor Lakoba, a Bolshevik leader of Abkhazia from 1921 to 1936 (from History of Abkhazia)
Image 7Kingdom of Imereti in the 16th century (from History of Abkhazia)
Image 8Map of modern Abkhazia (from History of Abkhazia)
Image 9Bagrat III of Georgia; of the House of Bagrationi (from History of Abkhazia)
Image 10One of the dolmens from Eshera (now at the Sukhumi Museum) (from History of Abkhazia)
Image 11Map showing the situation in Georgia at the end of 1993. Abkhaz forces were in control of all of the former Abkhaz ASSR, except the Kodori Gorge which remained in Georgian hands until the 2008 war with Russia. (from Abkhazia–Georgia border)
Image 12Map of Abkhazia, with Georgia to the east (from Abkhazia–Georgia border)
Image 13Anacopia Fortress (from History of Abkhazia)

Did you know?

...that the Voronya Cave in the Arabika Massif is currently the world's deepest cave and that its complete depth has not yet been established?
...that Lavrentiy Beria, the feared head of the Soviet NKVD, was born in the village of Merkheuli and that he went to school in Sukhumi?
...that during the Orange Revolution in the Ukraine, Abkhazia witnessed a very similar political crisis following the 2004 presidential election, which lasted twice as long?
...that there is a tiny community of Afro-Abkhazians, descendent from slaves bought centuries ago from the Turks?

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